Before we go any further, I know what you’re thinking.
“You’re THE Tommy Smokes.
An A-list celebrity and one of the most eligible bachelors in Manhattan.
I assume you get VIP treatment anywhere you go.”
But believe or not, that’s not always the case.
Sometimes I’m just like you.
I wait in lines.
I can’t get in places.
I even have topayfor drinks.
Hard to believe, I know.
But it’s the truth.
And a few weeks ago, I had one of these harsh experiences.
So we rolled up at 9:55 sharp.
We were told it doesn’t open until 10 and to come back in a bit.
So we walked around the block a few times then came back at 10:04.
Still too early though, they said.
Since it looked like there were zero people inside, that felt fair.
So we headed to a different bar for a drink and came back about a half hour later.
This is when I met Fabrizio.
He’s the main bouncer/potentially owner or something of the bar.
He’s well known around the NYC club community and I’ve seen him onTikTokbefore.
He’s quite an eccentric character and I’d like him to be my new best friend.
But he was having none of me that night.
Scoffed at the idea of two guys with no girls getting in.
He asked why he should let us in.
I said “Well I just want to go in and have a couple espresso martinis.
I won’t cause any trouble.
I’m a nice enough fellow.”
A tough task but I told him, “Alright we will be back.”
We headed to a few other bars on the hunt for supermodels.
If you might believe it, we couldn’t find any.
So we went back with a new plan.
I told him the supermodels were already inside and they said to meet us in there.
He started to chuckle and I could tell I was breaking him.
Not enough where he’d let me in, but a crack nonetheless.
Don’t be ridiculous Fabrizio!"
At this point, all the bouncers were warming up to me.
Sure, they’ve denied plenty of guys from clubs before.
But they have had the Smokes Experience before.
And while they still didn’t want to let me in, they at least liked me.
Which is really all it’s possible for you to ask for.
At that point, I started to give up.
There was a group of pretty girls with a couple guys and they too were denied.
If they couldn’t get in, then two guys alone had no chance.
But then this guy with an ear piece came out and said “Yo Tommy Smokes!”
I thought this was my lifeline.
A Stoolie was the manager of the place.
Surely, he would start a Viva chant and then let me in, right?
He apologized and said while he’d love to let me in, it’s a one man operation.
That one man was Fabrizio, and he stood firm on his stance to deny me.
So I told him that I’ll be back one day and that he will eventually let me in.
“It might not be tomorrow.
It might not be next week.
It might not be next month.
But one day you will let me in here.”
He laughed and said he respected the dedication.
I DMed him later that night and commended him on a great battle.
It felt like two players jersey swapping after a close game.
To be honest, part of me wants to never be let into this bar.
I like to live my life as if it’s a TV show.
He did respond to this video on TikTok and posted it on his story.
So I thought maybe my chances had increased.
But this is not the response I was looking for.
Feels like a no.
Anyway, this clip was part of the newPlease End Thispodcast with Caroline, Rudy, and myself.
Just had to change that god awful name.
We talk about life, random topics, and do some improv.
We also talk about God a weird amount.
But it’s fun and just an overall riff fest.
Give it a chance.
We’re onApple,Spotify, andYouTube.
